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Recalls: Portable heaters, riding lawn mowers

This photo provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission shows the Optimus Tower Quartz Heater that is being recalled due to overheating and fire hazards. (AP Photo)

A line of portable heaters that can overheat and cause a fire are among this week's recalled consumer products. Others include defective bicycle forks and riding lawn mowers.

Here's a more detailed look:

PORTABLE HEATERS

DETAILS: Optimus Tower Quartz heaters. The front section of the top has the brand name Optimus, a power light, a caution light and two dials. One dial turns the heater on or off and selects the power of either 750 watts or 1500 watts. The other control knob selects the heat range between high and low. The rear section of the top has fire, high temperature, and shock warnings and diagrams of the heater being used in 750 watt mode and 1500 watt mode. Model number "H-5232" is on a silver sticker on the bottom of the heater below the words "Optimus" and "Quartz Heater." They were sold at Family Dollar Stores from September 2012 through December 2012.

WHY: They can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

INCIDENTS: 10 reports of overheating, including some reports of temperature knobs melting. The firm has not received reports of injury, fire or property damage.

HOW MANY: About 19,640.

FOR MORE: Call Family Dollar Stores at 800-547-0359 or visit www.familydollar.com, then click on Product Recalls in the Help section at the bottom of the page.

BICYCLE FORKS

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DETAILS: Surly Pugsley bicycle forks, made by Aprebic Industry Co. Ltd., of Taiwan, a wholly-owned brand of Quality Bicycle Products Inc. The recall involves 100mm and 135mm bicycle forks made of tubular chromoly steel. The 100mm bicycle forks were sold individually only. They are black, have triple water bottle mounts on each side, rack/fender mounts on the top and bottom and have date code 2012 03 20 stamped on the steerer tube. "Surly" is printed on both legs of the fork. "Pugsley" is printed on the fork's packaging and on the frame of bikes with the recalled forks. The 135mm forks are black, yellow or red and are stamped with date code 2012 06 19 on the steerer tube. Model number FK3175, FK3181 or FK0706 is printed on the packaging for forks sold individually. Surly Pugsley bicycle models FM3110-3114, FM3175-79, BK3110-14 and BK3175-79 were sold with the recalled forks as original equipment. The bicycle's model number is printed on the bicycle's packaging. They were sold from May 2012 through February 2013.

WHY: The bicycle fork can bend above the disc brake mount, posing a fall hazard to the rider.

INCIDENTS: One report of a fork bending above the disc brake mount. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 975.

FOR MORE: Call Surly Bikes at 877-946-9333 or visit www.surlybikes.com and click on the Safety Recall button for more information.

RIDING LAWN MOWERS

DETAILS: 2012 and 2013 Toro Z Master Commercial 2000 Series ZRT riding mowers. The mowers are red and black. "Toro" and "2000 Series" are printed on the side and "Z Master Commercial" on the front of the mowers. When viewed from the operator's seat, the model and serial numbers are on a metal plate located at the front of the mower, below the seat, on the right-hand side. The following models and corresponding serial numbers are included in this recall: model number 74141 with serial numbers ranging from 312000101 to 312000784 and 313000101 to 313000364; model number 74143 with serial numbers ranging from 312000101 to 312000881 and 313000101 to 313000432; and model number 74145 with serial numbers ranging from 312000101 to 312001178 and 313000101 to 313000443. They were sold at Toro dealers nationwide from January 2012 through April 2013.

WHY: The idler pulley can rub against the mower's fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.

INCIDENTS: Six reports of incidents. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 3,700 in the U.S. and 60 in Canada. About 2,600 units were previously recalled in the U.S. and 30 in Canada in November 2012.

FOR MORE: Call Toro at 855-493-0090 or visit www.toro.com and click on Product Recall Information on the bottom right-hand side of the page for more information.

CONVECTION HEATERS

DETAILS: Touch Point portable baseboard convection heaters made by Foshan Guanmei Electrical Co. with number model BBC-1500 and date code 0611. "Touch Point" can be found on the front of the product and the model and date code can be found on a silver sticker on the back side of the product. The heaters were made in June 2011 and sold at Meijer stores from September 2011 through February 2013.

WHY: The heaters can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

INCIDENTS: Two reports of overheating, including one report of a fire that resulted in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 4,560.

FOR MORE: Call Meijer at 800-927-8699 or visit www.meijer.com and click on Product Recalls under the Help section.

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